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Otto von Ballpark

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Everything posted by Otto von Ballpark

  1. Otto von Ballpark
    I think we're just trying to cover innings at this point. Earlier in the year, we were trying to compete, so it made some sense to pull guys early if we felt it gave us a better chance to win. Now, with our staff in shambles and the season officially lost, the guys who can throw 100 pitches without restriction are pretty much going to throw those 100 pitches no matter what.
  2. Otto von Ballpark

    A silver lining: every loss to the Red Sox potentially hurts the Yankees...

  3. Otto von Ballpark
    But, is that a trend, or just selective endpoints? FWIW, even in that 5 start stretch of 2.73 ERA, Jax had a 4.96 FIP for a 116 FIP-, well below average, and also a 4.84 xFIP: https://www.fangraphs.com/players/griffin-jax/20253/game-log?type=0&gds=2021-07-19&gde=2021-08-16&season=&position=P Although I agree that there aren't a lot of alternatives left at this point. We'll need Joe Ryan PLUS Jax and others, just to finish out the season....
  4. Otto von Ballpark
    An injury like this is never good, but this seems like a bad time too -- so close to the end of the season, there's probably not enough time to rest it and test it yet this year. So Maeda could be looking at a 2021 shutdown, then showing up next spring with this still hanging over him. And a spring 2022 surgery would likely wipe out a good portion of 2023 too (that's the timeline that Sale and Syndergaard are on this season).
  5. Otto von Ballpark
    Albers is still on the roster, and I'm guessing he slots into Maeda's spot. But that still leaves a bullpen/Gant game, at least through this weekend -- Joe Ryan could slot in next Monday. Strotman is a tough case. Yes, he's on the 40-man, and he's almost 25, but he has a 5.63 ERA 5 starts, 24 innings for the Saints, and his pro career numbers in general haven't been very good. Interesting to note that the Rays, a team with constant pitching staff churn, chose not to use Strotman in MLB at all this year, despite him already occupying a 40-man spot.
  6. Otto von Ballpark
    Good to see Celestino is doing well, and at a young age (still 22). Although minor league numbers make me a little nervous, they just don't translate very neatly to MLB competition. Name PA wRC+ Rob Refsnyder 80 174 Jake Cave 36 169 Jose Miranda 224 161 Gilberto Celestino 76 147 Brent Rooker 267 140 Jimmy Kerrigan 276 130 Mark Contreras 259 123 Trevor Larnach 39 120 Drew Maggi 276 117
  7. Otto von Ballpark
    I think it depends on what they do at shortstop. If they sign another everyday guy like Simmons, that complicates matters -- but maybe they go with a part-timer? A Jose Iglesias type (not necessarily Iglesias specifically!) could sit in favor of Polanco a fair amount, and come in late as a defensive replacement, etc. Arraez could still get a fair amount of starts at 2B and LF, then.
  8. Otto von Ballpark
    As an aside, to put "top 100" into some context, here is how the FV (Future Value) scores break down on the Fangraphs list: 1-23: 60 FV or better 24-48: 55 FV 49-138: 50 FV 139-178: 45+ FV 179-312: 45 FV You can see how the talent distribution flattens pretty quickly -- they basically had to invent an extra "half-step" grade of 45+ just to differentiate the mass of prospects at that level. Back to Ryan, Fangraphs specifically has Ryan at 45 FV at the moment, which I guess might track closer to 200 than 100 but again, rankings and grades are all pretty fluid as you get deeper into the back half of the top 100.
  9. Otto von Ballpark
    I don't think so. Garver can just catch now, no need to worry about DH'ing him. Miranda has yet to even debut, so he probably won't demand a spot on opening day. Still a few directions we could go at shortstop -- sign a new everyday guy, sign a part-timer, etc. And you know there will be injuries. And Sano's only got a year left on his contract anyway, he's not blocking anyone. If we have enough healthy options to force him out, we could always pay Sano's salary to move him in trade.
  10. Otto von Ballpark
    Wood Richardson apparently threw bullpens last week. Wichita doesn't have any starters listed for this week (maybe they don't normally?), so perhaps he is already lined up for one.
  11. Otto von Ballpark
    The only other Twins minor leaguer I can find who was officially transferred to "Development List" this season was Joe Kuzia, a 27 year old reliever project. And his transfer to the list was a prelude to being released, after he had already scuffled through 6 appearances with Wichita. Not that I expect that fate for Woods Richardson. I guess they just wanted some extra time to stretch out Woods Richardson, who as far as I can tell, didn't actually pitch in any games during the Olympics in July, which may have put him behind Joe Ryan a bit in terms of readiness to return (Ryan is scheduled to make his 2nd Saints start tomorrow).
  12. Otto von Ballpark
    Rotation has been announced for the series in Boston, Tuesday through Thursday: Jax Ober Gant (Aside: those are some short last names!) Friday back home vs Milwaukee is still TBD, but according to the MILB schedule page, Ryan is already confirmed as the Saints starter for Wednesday, which would rule him out for the Milwaukee series. HOWEVER, the Saints are playing in Toledo through Sunday, and Ryan's next turn would land on Monday when the Twins travel to nearby Detroit for a single game. It would be pretty easy for Jax to join up with the Twins at that point, and that would also give Ober an extra day of rest before his next start too, if that is still an objective.
  13. Otto von Ballpark
    I think it's that Ryan is 25 years old, and the minor leagues can be kinda crazy for stats, especially for K's these days. Not that being a borderline top 100 is anything bad!
  14. Otto von Ballpark
    That 1979 team was in 1st place in late May, only 2 GB on September 1st, and tied for 2nd and only 3 GB with a week to go on September 22. A 6 game losing streak sealed their fate at that point, but that sounds like a forgotten pennant race in Twins history.
  15. Otto von Ballpark
    Following a disappointing 1978 season and the departure of Rod Carew, the Twins leaned the likes of Roy Smalley on Minnesota native Jerry Koosman to lead this promotional commercial leading into the 1979 season. Koosman went on to have a stellar season while Smalley posted one of his career-best seasons. Presented in partnership with TC Media Now.
  16. Otto von Ballpark
    Following a disappointing 1978 season and the departure of Rod Carew, the Twins leaned the likes of Roy Smalley on Minnesota native Jerry Koosman to lead this promotional commercial leading into the 1979 season. Koosman went on to have a stellar season while Smalley posted one of his career-best seasons. Presented in partnership with TC Media Now. View full video
  17. Otto von Ballpark
    MLB rosters expand on September 1st, but only by 2 -- to 28, from 26. I think the cutting suggestions are to open up playing time rather than a roster spot, but I agree with the author that position player cuts seem unlikely now.
  18. Otto von Ballpark
    I posted this elsewhere today, but basically, there are no minor league playoffs this year. Saints could win the division but the AAA title is likely out of reach (the Saints are tied for 6th, 8.5 back with 24 to play). There's also a separate 10 game "final stretch" after the regular season but it seems of dubious value. https://ballparkdigest.com/2021/07/14/milb-turns-triple-a-extended-season-to-tourney-kinda/ MLB has a 28 man roster limit for September, and we'll may have a few guys rehabbing, so we can still give the Saints some quality players, without giving them Miranda and Ryan the rest of the way.
  19. Otto von Ballpark
    Fresh off his legendary .388 batting average season in 1977, the Minnesota Twins (unsurprisingly) focused on Rod Carew for their 1978 promotional materials, where they asked the ring-less Carew what he most wanted and he definitively answered... a gold glove. Presented in partnership with TC Media Now. View full video
  20. Otto von Ballpark
    Fresh off his legendary .388 batting average season in 1977, the Minnesota Twins (unsurprisingly) focused on Rod Carew for their 1978 promotional materials, where they asked the ring-less Carew what he most wanted and he definitively answered... a gold glove. Presented in partnership with TC Media Now.
  21. Otto von Ballpark
    Following a 20-win campaign on a mediocre 1977 team, the Minnesota Twins use Dave Goltz to promote their ultimately very bad 1978 team. Tickets may still be available. Presented in partnership with TC Media Now.
  22. Otto von Ballpark
    Following a 20-win campaign on a mediocre 1977 team, the Minnesota Twins use Dave Goltz to promote their ultimately very bad 1978 team. Tickets may still be available. Presented in partnership with TC Media Now. View full video
  23. Otto von Ballpark
    Recorded sometime during the 1960s, famous Twins announcers Halsey Hall and Ray Scott shill St Paul's own Hamm's Beer. Presented in partnership with TC Media Now.
  24. Otto von Ballpark
    Recorded sometime during the 1960s, famous Twins announcers Halsey Hall and Ray Scott shill St Paul's own Hamm's Beer. Presented in partnership with TC Media Now. View full video
  25. Otto von Ballpark
    I suspect Oakland's odds were downgraded a bit last week when Chris Bassitt was struck by a line drive to the face. He's not officially out for the season, but he's going to miss most of it, and he had really emerged as their ace this season.
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